


Truth Be Told

by astronomicslushii



Series: TBT :: Dangan Ronpa V3 [1]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Talentswap (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, F/M, M/M, ace hoshi is best hoshi, bc i love that ship, dont judge me, oh well, oumasai, those ships are unbelievably straight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-19 21:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14881310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astronomicslushii/pseuds/astronomicslushii
Summary: Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Artist, is an unwilling participator in the 53rd Season of the hit show Dangan Ronpa. Along with Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Astronaught, the two explore the school and run into their fellow students along the way, blissfully unaware of their current situation.And then, their short phase of happiness is cut short at the news that they would have to participate in a killing game.





	1. Something New

_:: time && date || 11:49am ,, 4 // 06 // 2018 ::  
:: Dangan Ronpa ,, Season 53 ,, Has now officially begun ::_

 

When Shuichi had finally awoken from his rather blissful slumber, he found nothing but darkness and silence. He would admit, he found it a bit unnerving at the complete lack of- well, everything. Upon moving his hand, he realized that he wasn't in some endless road of darkness- the space he was in was cramped. Every movement seemed to trigger a metallic echo of some sort.

He held in a breath, pressing his back against the space behind him and suddenly jerking his body forwards, using an unnecessary amount of force against the front of - what seemed to be - the locker, realization hitting him like a train as he tumbled face-first into the ground.

The boy let out a muffled, incoherent groan before lifting his head, his eyes meeting with a girls faded out lavender orbs, holding back stories practically begging to be told with pure innocence and passion gleaming within them. It was almost comforting, even if he had only seen this person for a mere second.

Shuichi shook off the thought, forcing himself back onto his feet and staggering back a moment. The girl before him still wore a warming smile, adjusting the coffee-brown sash she had draped over her shoulder. Taking in her appearance further, he had easily noticed the blush red shirt with pale red words spelling out 'Hewwo' across the front, a denim, lilac crop jacket covering half of the word. She wore a deeper purple skirt falling above her knees, her shirt tucked into her skirt- though, strangely enough, the look suited her. She had galaxy-themed leggings, ending a bit above her coral pink sneakers. She seemed so lively and positive...

"Hello?" She called, dragging out the 'O' as she waved a hand in front of my face. "Anybody home?" Bouncing back to reality, Shuichi jolted back, shaking his head before straightening his posture, a wavering smile growing over his face.

"Ah- My apologies! I was just... Thinking." He assured her. The girl gave a simple nod, hands joining behind her back as she continued. "I see. Well, I'm Kaede Akamatsu- Luminary of Stars and the Ultimate Astronaut!" She explained, arms spread out as that positive vibe had begun to radiate from the blonde.

Shuichi blinked, giving a simple nod before continuing to introduce himself as well. "Nice to meet you, Akamatsu.. You're an Ultimate too?" He asked, inwardly face-palming at his question. She had confirmed that; yes, she was an Ultimate as well, why would he ask something as stupid as that? 

"Yeah, I am! I'm guessing from the question you are as well- if you don't mind me asking, what's your talent?" She interrogated, hands now placed firmly on her hips. Shuichi waited a moment, before finally managing to answer her question. "Right. I'm... Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Artist." He answered, his voice faltering at the ' Ultimate ' part. He knew he was an Ultimate, but it was hard to accept the title. He saw himself as no more but a simple person who created art for a living.

Despite his lack of confidence in himself and his talent, the blonde was quickly impressed by this. "Ultimate Artist? That's amazing!" She insisted, lips parting to continue on before they had been cut short, the sound of the door swinging open echoing throughout the classroom.

The two had averted their attention towards the two people who had begun to dart in various areas of the room, one seeming to be chasing the other. A tall, busty blonde and a much shorter, much paler 'purplenette' had been playing a game of cat and mouse- at least, that's what it looked like.

Before long, the shorter boy had hurried to hide behind Shuichi, the corners of his lips flickering upwards into a grin as he stared over at the blonde, her voice raising the second he retreated behind Shuichi. "Get back here, you cowardly little punk!" She shrieked, making an attempt to lunge towards him- Unfortunately for her, Kaede was quick to grab hold of the back of her shirt, hoisting her back with surprising strength.

The blonde whined in slight distress under Kaedes grip, looking back to merely pout at the clearly stronger girl. The new girl had an oversized hot pink off-the-shoulder sweater, a jet black tank top shielding any of her 'delicates' from view. She had denim short shorts on, miniature rips on the front and the sides, and bright red converse. She looked a bit simple- was she an Ultimate as well? Before he could open his mouth to ask, the boy behind him beat him to it. "Hah! Thanks for the save, guys!"

Shuichi allowed his gaze to drift back to the smaller boy. His purple hair was sticking out in all directions, thought it was thin enough to let the brown goggles perched on his head show. He had a faded out, yellowish collared shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders and a tortilla brown, sleeveless denim jacket over the shirt, three colorful pins on each side of the unbuttoned jacket.  He had long, jet black fingerless gloves, ending a bit below his elbows, and grey jeans tucked into his boots. Following it all up, he had dirt smudged over his face and arms, a few dried stains around the wrists of his gloves, and a few checkered band aids on his limbs and cheek.

It didn't take long for him to realize Shuichi had been staring, his lips flickering into a grin as he reached forwards, linking their arms together. "Hey there, Artsy! Kokichi Ouma, the brilliant prodigy at your service!" He exclaimed. He was filled with energy and hope, but it was different from Kaede. Kaede was a genuinely positive soul, her happiness coming from nothing but the want to be kind... This boy was different.

His gleeful, carefree attitude likely revolved around the lack of it he had experienced. At least, that was Shuichis guess, he wasn't a detective. He wouldn't know this stuff. Shaking his head, he made an attempt to return the smile. "P- Prodigy..?" He stammered, tugging on his own arm.

"Well, that was partially a lie. I am, as a matter of fact, the Ultimate Inventor!" He responded, punching the air the help show his genuine excitement. "Oh, I see.. I'm- Uhm- Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate-" "Artist, right?" The blonde had cut him off, now being released from Kaedes grip. Shuichi could feel his cheeks flare up, the realization that they weren't alone hitting him in a matter of seconds.

Shuichi responded with no more than a simple nod, eyes averting to the ground. "Well, I'm Miu Iruma! I... Don't actually... How can I put this, I-" Before she had the chance to finish, Kokichi had beat her to it, turning to speak to Shuichi more so than Kaede. "She doesn't have a talent." He said simply. Shuichi was clearly surprised by that, looking over at Miu again. "T- That's not true! I- I just... Can't remember..."

Kaede had decided to take action again, speaking up before they had the chance to begin arguing and fighting again. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you guys! I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Astronaut! Did you guys wanna look around this place with us?" She offered. Miu allowed a brief huff to ascend from her throat, her arms folding over her chest. She opened her mouth to respond, before the sound of multiple people yelling had echoed through the halls of the building.

Kaede and Shuichi shared a look, nodding at each other as they turned towards the doors, heading out the other two quickly trailed behind.

 

 

 

Sixteen teenagers, all with respective Ultimate Talents, had been kidnapped and brought to a school.

When they woke up, they expected to make friends, all of them working together to help each other escape from this strange school...

Unfortunately, that was clearly not what was expected to happen.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome, to the annual, 53rd Killing Game!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realized just now that i dont really have an outfit for shuichi. like,, literally,, i may be an artist but i dont know shit about designs i need h e l p,,,
> 
> until i end up fitting his outfit in somewhere,, just imagine anything  
> also this took,, so long,, and its hardly even a chapter so much as just explaining everyones outfits and such. Just,, bare with me here, if you wanna you can just read their names + their new titles and skip the rest.

_:: time && date || 12:03pm ,, 4 // 06 // 2018 ::  
:: Dangan Ronpa ,, Season 53 ,, Making New Friends :_

 

 

Shuichi had made sure to stay close to Kaede, as it seemed like, unlike him, she had an idea of where to go. She led their small group down a flight of stairs, following the noise to a room - presumably the gym - and placing her hands against the wood, forcing it open with a heaved grunt.

The instant the doors flew open, Shuichi could feel multiple sets of eyes piercing into his soul, ending with the boy breaking into a nervous sweat. Yes, he had been an Ultimate, so he should be used to the attention- but he wasn't. He had walls, walls he spent years building up and he certainly wasn't feeling like socializing with the rest of the people here.

Their sudden appearance hadn't surprised the rest of the people inside. In fact, it looked as if they had predicted their arrival, as a taller man had spoken first. "Huh, I thought there might be more of us here!" He claimed, offering a wide smile towards the four of us.

He had spiky purple hair, lighter than Kokichis, growing out at the top and the bottom of his head, a small goatee on his chin. He was a tall, slightly tanned and friendly looking guy. He had a white, long-sleeved shirt with a red kumadori design stamped across the front, a black pinstripe blazer buttoned over the shirt and well-fitted, dark blue jeans tucked underneath his dark grey flats.

He wiped a pink splotch away from his lips, heading over to the newcomers and holding out a hand, his other hand rested firmly on his hip. "Kaito Momota, Ultimate Detective." He introduced. Kaede wasted no time, clasping their hands together and giving a simple nod. "Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate Astronaut. It's a pleasure to meet you, Momota-Kun." She nodded, turning back to us as her hand fell back to her side. "These are my friends. Shuichi Saihara, Kokichi Ouma and Miu Iruma."

Kaito greeted them with a mere wave of his hand, taking a step back and turning back to the rest of the people in the room. "See? I told you it was better to wait." He boasted, shoving his hands into his pockets before heading back over to a shorter girl, spinning on heels and leaning back against the wall behind him.

"I suppose introductions are in order then?" The girl questioned, arms folded over her chest as she spoke. She had an intimidating aura surrounding her, though the soft look in her eyes as she looked over at the male next to her said otherwise.

She wore her long, black hair in a single ponytail, a few hair clips pushing her bangs to the side. Along with that, her attire almost paralleled Kaitos, consisting of a pale red dress shirt and an unbuttoned, darker strawberry red sleeveless blazer over top. She had a short red dress with black legging underneath, and brown ankle shoes with fur at the ankles.

Kaito nodded as a response, and the girl straightened her posture the moment he did. "Hello, my name is Maki Harukawa and I am the Ultimate Pianist." This seemed to surprise Kaede more than anyone else. The only musical thing apart of her uniform was the just barely visible musical notes on her skirt.

The shortest male stepped up next. He had short, scruffy hair and more dirt than Kokichi smudged over his face. He had a simple black beanie, and a dark green shirt with jeans and sneakers that somehow managed to fit him, a belt and a rope draped over his shoulder before lifting a hand to greet us. "I'm Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Entomologist."

Next was a redhead, a bit shorter than Kokichi and a tired smile over her face. She had a white shirt with Izuku Midoriya, a popular anime character on the front. Along with it, she held a black overcoat over her shoulder, red and yellow pins over the top left of her shirt. She had a short skirt, like Maki, only she had black wolf-like stockings that ended at her knees and brown boots. "Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Cosplayer!"

A darker, slightly unusual looking girl had caught everyones attention as she burst in with another. The girls arms swung above her head, her grin spreading from ear-to-ear. Her skin looked as tough as metal, her eyes seemingly empty despite the smile on her face. There was a single black line going from her eyes to the bottom of her face on both sides, and she had clearly metallic armor painted in baby blue, with the armor thinned down to seem more just like strangely themed clothing. "Hello! We aren't late, are we? I'm Angie! Ultimate Robot, and this is-"

She had begun to introduce the boy next to her, but he beat her to it, a tired look of his face. "Kiibo. Kiibo Idabashi. Ultimate- Uhm.. U- Ultimate Assassin..." He trailed off. He had his hair swept to the side under a hat, the hat causing a shadow to fall over his face. he had a royal blue flannel shirt over a pure red shirt, and denim jeans with two chains hanging from the sides. "Pleasure to meet you all." He greeted.

Kaede offered a wave, opening her mouth before being cut off by the sound of another female. "Well, we aren't starting over again, so I'm afraid you'll have to figure out everyone elses names later. I'm Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Tennis Pro." She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. She had most of her hair tied back into long twin tails, strands of hair falling over her face. Following it up, she also had a cobalt tank top, a black leather crop jacket over it and a brown belt, dark blue skinny jeans ripped at the knees and white and blue converse ankle shoes.

A bluenette took it upon her to break the silence ringing through the room, patting down on her skirt with a hum. Her bright blue hair was up in a tidy bun, glasses giving her eyes sort of a shimmering look. She wore a white dress, the bottom of her sleeves folded up once, studded fingerless gloves visible going under the dress. Over it, she had a black apron, forming a skirt at the bottom and singular white stripes on the sides, a crescent moon on the upper left and a larger, more transparent one of the bottom right of the apron. "Apologies for her rudeness, Idabashi-Kun. I am Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Maid." She went on to introduce those of us that already had, before gesturing for anyone that hadn't to do so.

A sandy blonde had spoken next, a tint of green to her hair and warm green eyes, greeting us with a smile. She had a simple school girls uniform on, a cyan color to it all. She wore turquoise socks up to her knees, and blue sneakers, her hair tied into a ponytail and pushed onto her shoulder, using a bow as a hair tie. "I am Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Aikido Master!"

Another boy, a taller one with light green hair greeted them all. He had a long coat closely resembling a straight jacket, falling below his knees with the buttons loose below the belt, straps tied around his elbows. He had his hands in his pockets, though he could see the miniature cuts on his fingers. He had a black pair of pants tucked into studded black boots. "Rantaro Amami.. Ultimate Supreme Leader."

A boy with much longer hair had stepped forwards. He had a hat on, and a purely white dress shirt. He had, like Maki, a sleeveless black blazer, only his was buttoned up. He had a thin tie, and a spirits theme to his uniform. A ghost-like pattern was spread over the blazer, and he had a black cape with a glittery red color on the inner part, similar to his hat. He had loose black pants and dark cyan and black flats. "I'm Korekiyo Shinguji, the Ultimate Magician and master of illusions." He hummed, hands behind his back.

And lastly, another male. He was extremely buff and broad, it was shocking his clothes could even fit. The outfit he wore made him look like Indiana Jones, excusing the hat that he lacked.

 

 

Silence rang throughout the room, as everyone had begun to exchange glances. Before anyone else had the chance, Kokichi sprang from behind Shuichi to the middle of the room, hands on his hips. "Right! That's everyone, right? Geeeeez, that took forever!" He complained, dragging out his 'E' longer than he needed to. "Now, should we talk about where we are?" He suggested. 

The rest of the teenagers had nodded in agreement, and a sly smirk grew over Kokichis face, before he lifted his finger to suggest something else. Before he could, however, the sound of a bell echoed from the speakers in the corners of the rooms, and a small bear, half black and half white, had appeared on the stage.

 

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome, to the annual, 53rd Killing Game!!"

 


	3. A Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I get you're trying to encourage us and all, but I have no doubt that someone is watching us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY theres actually some plot rather than just introductions >:'  
> no but seriously thinking of plots is hard but luckily now whenever i go to school i have a reason to zone out nyeheheh

_:: time && date || 12:45pm ,, 4 // 06 // 2018 ::  
:: Dangan Ronpa ,, Season 53 ,, An Unwilling Game ::_

 

 

The small bear, having already gained everyones attention by its mere presence, had certainly caught everyones interest more so than their attention with that short sentence. Kaedes eyes grazed over the small crowd, and she was certain they all had similar thoughts racing through their minds.

 

_'What is that thing thing talking about?'_

_'Killing Game? Is he serious?'_

_'I'm not killing someone! What even is this little weirdo?'_

 

With a simple glance, she was quick to catch the anger and confusion written over the students' faces. The bear, in response, let a mere cackle ascend from whatever it had as a throat, its little paws grabbing at its stomach.

"Yes, that's right!" It continued, spreading its arms out with nothing short of pure excitement. "The 53rd Killing Game of the series! Confused? Well, I imagine you would be! Allow me to explain." The bear rambled. It had hardly let any of us get more than a breath in, cutting us off and drowning us out with its intense volume. It was certainly... Annoying.

"This Killing Game is similar to how actual video games! It's a game where you all face each other, getting along and such, but in order for it to commence, one of you must kill one of your friends! You'll have to investigate, and then face each other  _again_ in a class trial, where you will figure out who the blackened is!" He went on, lifting a hand.

Before being given the chance to explain what a 'class trial' was, a loud and rather obnoxious voice rang out. "Hey! The hell makes you think we'd be willing to kill each other?" With everyones attention drifting elsewhere, suddenly, all eyes were on Miu. Due to this, her confidence had only improved. Her posture straightened and she got just a bit louder.

"We may not know each other, but it's not like we're so willing to leave we'd actually cause each other any trouble!" She insisted. Shuichi couldn't help but ponder over what she had said. Why did she assume they would be able to leave if they killed each other? Before he had the chance to ask, another had spoken up.

Of course, it was Kaito. "Yeah! We're people, not heartless-" Cutting himself off, his eyes darted from Angie back to Monokuma, deciding to reword his statement while he was ahead. "W- We're not just heartless killers! Even Idabashi-Kun seems unsure about this whole ordeal!" He pointed out. And he was right, too.

Looking over at Kiibo, anyone could notice the fear and unassertive glints shimmering within those baby blues of his. "That's because... Everyone I've killed deserved what came to them. You've all done nothing wrong." He explained, his voice lowered to a hushed whisper, just loud enough for most people to hear him.

The bear however, really didn't seem to care. If anything, his grin almost seemed to flicker wider at their protesting. "Ah, don't worry! I have special  **motives** prepared to get you all into action for sure!" He beamed, the slightest bead of drool being wiped from his mouth. Gross- did he actually enjoy forcing teenagers to fight and  _kill_ each other?

"Also! Scattered around this campus, I have prepared little labs for you all! Currently, a large majority of them are locked, due to them not being completed yet, but there are currently two left open! The Ultimate Inventors Lab, and the Ultimate Assassins Lab! " He rambled on, and as Shuichi let his gaze land on Kokichi, he could see a glint of anticipation glint in his eyes. Was that because of his lab being opened, or... "Until next time, au revoir!" The bear waved.

 

And with that, he vanished.

 

Kaede wasted little to no time, giving no one a chance to take his words into thought. "Come on, guys! Just ignore him. We're not being  _forced_ to kill each other." She insisted. "Don't jinx it."

Kokichi stepped forwards, hands behind his back as he stared directly up into Kaedes eyes. Despite his small, petite build, it didn't mean he couldn't give off an intimidating vibe. "I get you're trying to encourage us and all, but I have no doubt that someone is watching us. You'll just be giving them ideas. I think it'd be better if you kept quiet." He stated simply, his eyes blank and almost completely devoid of anything other than utter wariness and mistrust.

The blonde was quite obviously surprised at his sudden change of attitude. A moment ago, he acted so carefree and confident, now he acted a bit differently. Before she could respond, that all too familiar grin broke out onto Kokichis face, an eye closing to wink at the girl. "But of course, that's a lie! Even if there were people watching, they'd already have this entire thing planned out!"

Kaede seemed taken aback by his constant change in moods, turning to look at her companion, who simply shrugged as a response. As her eyes grazed over the crowd, they had soon met Kokichis once again, his eyes half-lidded as they had a silent stare-down. "Now... I suggest that rather than standing here talking- let's go explore this place while we're here!"

Before Kaede had the chance to protest, the majority of the students agreed, taking another person and dragging them out. Kaito had gone with Maki, Kokichi had taken the chance to take Angie, Ryoma with Gonta, so on and so on. 

Eventually, the only ones left were Kaede and Shuichi. Turning to each other, the two of them spared each other a half-hearted smile before following the rest of the group, out of the Gym to explore their newfound school.

 


	4. His Lab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'Shuichi Saihara ⟶ Trustworthy?'"

_ :: time && date || 1:22pm ,, 4 // 06 // 2018 :: _

_ :: Dangan Ronpa ,, Season 53 ,, A Robot and An Inventor:: _

  
  


 

Kaede and Shuichi had taken their time exploring the school. On the way to the library, however, the pair had passed by a door with a wrench and screwdriver motif stamped over it. The door had been left ajar, and before Kaede could simply burst in, Shuichi held an arm out in front of her, causing her to come to a halt.

Shuichi gently knocked on the open door, giving whoever was inside a brief warning before slowly pressing the door open. A loud creak echoed throughout the room, and Shuichi had been first to spot both Angie and Kokichi in the center of the room, Kokichi sitting on a seat while Angie stood before him. He appeared to be checking her wiring and such.

Seeing as the two had hardly acknowledged their presence, they had assumed the two simply didn't want to be interrupted. Turning to leave, Shuichi had suddenly felt a light tug on his sleeve, a childish voice quickly following. "Saihara-chan! Did you really come to see me? Did you?" 

Shuichi turned his head and looked back down at the shorter boy, quick to note that familiar look in his eyes. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and maybe looking at this boy was enough to finally understand what it had meant.

The boys eyes were a deep purple, but not the kind of shade that's easy to describe. It was almost like they were both purple and magenta at the same time, with blue creeping in around the edges as if it were trying to take over. He blinked and the beauty was momentarily covered by the shield of his eyelashes; naturally long and soft looking. By the time the boy's eyes opened again, Shuichi had still not recovered from his intense stare. It was a stare that communicated the boys former pain, and nothing more than his yearning for someone to return his gaze with a mirrored smile painted over their face.

Shuichi, not matter how desperately he had tried, could never manage to tear his eyes away from the other. He had been frozen in place, trapped under the others gaze, before finally he had averted eye contact.

The taller male had allowed a heaved breath to ascend from his throat, suddenly feeling all of his muscles relax upon finally being allowed to recollect his thoughts. Once he looked back at the latter, that shade of pink coating his cheeks were about as clear as day. "U- Uhm- Well, we actually found this place on our way to the library, but-"

Kokichi let his lips curl down into a brief pout, pursing his lips together before he had balled his hands into fists. "So you didn't come for me? How rude! Get out!" Despite his attempt to make his voice come out as demanding and superior, he hadn't been able to fight the smile flickering over his face.

Not even a second later, and Angie had quickly spoken up, tilting her head to the side. "Ah ah ah! Don't be so rude to our new comrades, Ouma-kun!" She hummed. The robot hopped down from a stool Shuichi was sure Kokichi had ordered her to stand on, the metallic, sonorous sounds echoing throughout the room. Kokichi had noticeably perked up at the sound of Angies voice, seemingly only now remembering she was here.

"Right! Saihara-chan, Akamatsu-san, you both know 4NG1E." Kokichi proclaimed, gesturing to the robot next to him. Kaede opened her mouth to question him, but Angie had been quick to beat her to it. "I told you, Ouma-kun-" She began, reaching over and taking Kokichi by the collar of his shirt, bringing him closer as her eyes narrowed slits, her smile spreading over her face. "Call me  _Angie._ I am not 4NG1E here."

Kokichi had simply nodded in response, hardly seeming too intimidated by the girl. He turned back to the pair who had just entered, bringing his hands behind his back as he clasped them together. "I'm just checking out Angies wiring, nothing special." He informed them, heading back over to the seat and beckoning Angie over to him.

Angie happily joined the other, hopping back up on the stool and tapping the center of her back. The three watched as a hatch had opened up, and Kokichi had resumed his inspection. "Feel free to look around, just don't touch anything."

Shuichi had looked over at Kaede, only to see her head off in one corner of the room, presumably having spotted something peculiar. Shaking his head, Shuichi headed off in the other side, stopping at a table and allowing his eyes to graze over the jars and beakers. Each one had contained a different substance, and Shuichi had simply brushed it off.

As his gaze drifted upwards, he had felt a light pang in his chest as he noticed. There were blades and saws dangling from the ceiling, a drill being pointed towards a bed in the center of the room. Kaede had gone to inspect the screens on the far side of the room, and he had trusted her to examine every inch of the lab he couldn't.

And so, he had allowed himself to become distracted by a blank whiteboard hidden in the corner. A white sheet had been lazily draped over it, and Shuichi had been quick to approach the board.

He placed a hand on the top, spinning it around to get a better look at the other side. Kokichi had markings, diagrams and possible ideas scribbled over the wide board, and on the right side, he had pictures of each of the students with labels around them.

They were all separated into small groups. Kaito, Korekiyo, Kirumi and Himiko were placed under 'dumb', Kaede, Gonta and Ryoma were 'weird', Maki, Tenko, Kiibo, Miu and Rantaro were 'suspicious', and Angie and Tsumugi were 'interesting'. For a moment, Shuichi had merely assumed Kokichi had forgotten about him, but after staring over at the pictures for a second longer, he had managed to find his own picture, separated from the rest in the top corner with an entire description below the picture.

 

'Shuichi Saihara ⟶ Trustworthy?'

" **HEY!!** "

Shuichi had felt himself be forced back, away from the board before being given the chance to so much as look at the description. Kokichi had blocked his view, swinging it back around and throwing the sheet over the board once more, his head snapping back to stare over at Shuichi.

"I thought I told you not to touch anything!" He reminded him, his brows stitching together while his lips curled back into more of a scowl. Amidst the clear exasperation crossing the smaller boys face, Shuichi could've sworn he saw the smallest hint of pink coating his cheeks. He shot his hands up in defense, feeling his words catch in throat, barely managing to choke out a single word.

It had taken a moment, but seeing how clearly flustered and... Possibly even intimidated the artist had been acting, Kokichi had quickly calmed himself, with Kaede and Angie coming to assist Shuichi if Kokichi had continued to yell.

The purplenette let his arms flop down to his sides, struggling to allow his lips flicker upwards into more of an awkward smile, a hand lifting to scratch the back of his neck. "Aw geez, sorry Saihara-chan! I just don't want you invading my privacy." He assured him, his free hand resting on his hip. It wasn't clear on the outside, but Kokichi could feel a swarm of thoughts cloud his mind. 

_ 'Did Saihara see the description?' _

_ 'Did he even see the picture?' _

_ 'Does he think I'm weird?' _

_ 'Did he see the pictures?' _

_ 'Will he accuse me if a murder happens..?' _

_ 'What if-' _

 

Kokichi shook his head, not allowing the thoughts to continue before looking back up at the three before him, his eyes slanted downwards with a tired haze clouding his iris'. "I think it'd be best if you all left..."

Shuichi, about to protest, opened his mouth to insist on him staying to make sure Kokichi was alright. But he didn't. He sealed his lips shut, nodding in agreement and turning on his heels, following Kaede as she left. 

A silence hung between the two, nothing but their footsteps ringing through their ears. And then, he had heard Kaede speak up.

 

"We can't trust that liar, can we?"

**Author's Note:**

> heyhey !! this is my second ever story on here,, and unlike the other one,, this is actually a chapter book instead of a oneshot. apologies if anything is confusing in this,, but it'll get better :0
> 
> i'll probably end up making little side-stories for this too,, like pre-game or post-game stuff, so beware


End file.
